We recently added works by our dear Floridian friend, Jane Dagmi, to the shop walls. Each beautiful piece capturing a singular image in a moment of time. We first met Jane when she was living in New York and was an editor at Country Living magazine. She wrote and produced the very first article on WestWard shortly after we bought the property. Our friendship has grown over the years, with her visiting many times to Seattle and Hawthorne a few years back. She would often give us small gifts of her drawings. As we have started adding more & more artwork to the walls at the shops, I am excited and honored to showcase hers.

Veuve Clicquot to me always means a celebration is taking place or about to take place. That in my mind, can mean just celebrating the day. Yesterday we celebrated our dear friend Jane Dagmi and her turning 50. It was a lovely way to kick-off the start of this trip. It is a champagne that many of you know holds a very special place in my heart. Over the years, we have shared bottles of it with so many friends for so many occasions. We have a big vintage bowl that we have saved all the corks from the bottles over the years–it is a fun reminder of all the lovely times shared. A new bowl has begun at Hawthorne, ready to be filled with memories.

Our lovely and talented friend Jane Dagmi wrote and shot a really fun piece for the Benjamin Moore paint blog, www.colorchats.com about our beloved beach house, WestWard on Vashon Island. The timing for the post matching up perfectly with the 4th of July holiday. Just a bit of the back story. We bought the house and property from a former Seattle Mayor. The house was red, and next to the house sits a quite large flag pole. The design Gods had already made up their minds for us that this house would be done with a nod to Americana. We have had such a great time over the years finding–white vintage pottery, quilts and blankets, and ticking stripe materials to name a few. Jane and her daughters have been our guests on several visits when they make the trek from Florida. She produced and wrote the article on WestWard for Country Living magazine oh so many years ago, so she is quite familiar with the setting. Thanks Jane for another visually rich (in both word & photo) story!

I was asked by design & style writer Jane Dagmi to describe my ‘make-over’ of a kitchen in the “Mad Men” television series for the Benjamin Moore paint blog, Color Chats. Jane knew I was a fan of an all-green kitchen, since she wrote about ours for Country Living magazine a few years back.

Ted Kennedy Watson, eminent Seattle retailer and tastemaker, is a lover of the all-green kitchen concept. “The Mad Men kitchen does make my heart sing a tad…but just a tad,” he says, adding, I like ours better!” Ted is quick to offer 6 ways to spruce it up.”
1. PAINT: Go high gloss with a product like Advance – paint the chairs and table each with a vibrant shade of green.
2. WINDOW TREATMENTS: Ditch the curtains; keep the shades.
3. APPLIANCES: Install a glass-fronted Sub-Zero fridge to open up the space.
4. LIGHTING: Replace pendant with a green beaded chandelier; take sconce shade off and go with an exposed Edison bulb.
5. HARDWARE: Replace cabinet pulls with green glass vintage-inspired knobs.
6. SMALL ELECTRICS: Replace all counter top appliances with green-colored versions like a Dualit toaster and KitchenAid mixer.

Check out the rest of the blog post at www.colorchats.com ‘Guys On Style: The Decor of Mad Men’ and see how the other 2 guys, Simon Doonan and Eddie Ross, made over different rooms from the series.

If you are a fan of the show, check out the very witty www.tomandlorenzo.com blog for many insights. The above photo trio was taken from their site. Thanks Jane, for a fun assignment!

Check out the Benjamin Moore paint blog, www.colorchats.com and read the latest post written by Jane Dagmi. Jane is a writer, producer & stylist extraordinaire, who is also a contributing editor at Country Living magazine. The post is ‘Six Colors Besides White That Will Flatter Art’ with our brown art wall at our home in The Gainsborough being featured. It is a fun look at some beautiful colors that really highlight artwork.

Creativity comes in many forms, styles and venues. I am so fortunate to have friendships with many creative souls, and it is something I cherish on a daily basis. Their creativity fuels me. These are a few ways I was shown it in the past weeks.

My beautiful friend Jane Dagmi lives stylishly & creatively each day. As a writer and stylist, she combines creativity in both the written and the visual. She is always working on some sort of project whenever we chat. The 2 above photos were her gift to me for my birthday. She created a box of blocks with images she thought I would like. These are great to fiddle with after a long day, sitting with a glass of wine. There are many ways the blocks can rest in the box too, so even when they are just resting, they look cool. The lucite lid allows for a rotating gallery of possibilities.

My friend Pam Moller, who is also a Watson Kennedy family member, also lives & breathes creativity each day. She knows my love of apples. This is what I walked into on my office desk a few weeks ago. An apple tableau of birthday gifts so beautifully presented. The 24 red striped napkins will be perfect at WestWard. They will also be used tonight for an event we are hosting in town. Look for them in the post tomorrow.

Creativity can also come in an e-mail. My friend Nancy, who is the artist that painted the portrait of Bailey that I posted awhile back, was at a wedding with her husband in the Maldives recently. He snapped this photo of her with a Watson Kennedy tote over her shoulder. WK goes international! The e-mail just made my day. It was such a creative, thoughtful gesture.

Each word of the book is so lovingly spoken and your voice exudes such warmth and kindness. You are so genuine with your readers. And so interested in teaching them how to love… Love art…. Love nature… Love small things… Love friends… Love family… And love life.

— Haley from New York

Ted’s ‘Style & Simplicity’ is absolutely Lovely (with a capital L)! It’s also charming, fun to read, and full of wonderful advice.

— Newell Turner, Editor in Chief at House Beautiful

Ted Kennedy Watson has a most refined sense of aesthetics…and he shares some of his best secrets, for which I am so grateful!

— Lisa Birnbach, author of The Official Preppy Handbook

Ted, and his namesake fine good emporiums Watson Kennedy are legendary in this town. What he does brilliantly is quality over trend, substance over vapid style.

— Kaye Wellman, author Eat, Shop, Seattle

If you’ve ever wanted to walk through a stylized photo in a magazine this shop is a phenomenal fix for that as the merchandising is crazy delicious to feast your eyes upon.

— Uncle Beefy at thebedlamofbeefy.com

I feel like a kid in a candy shop every time I walk in the door.

— Apartment Therapy

I ordered ‘Style & Simplicity’ and it was delivered to my home in Hermanus, South Africa. What a delightful book and inspiration!

— Marlien on Facebook

The Seattle tastemaker behind Watson Kennedy: a personally curated store with the absolute best gifts, treasures, home goods, and hand-selected music.

— Town & Country

#genius #book @watsonkennedy #brilliant #perfect #gift

— Howard Slatkin on Instagram

Truly a visual feast for the eyes and palate.Thank you for sharing your abundance of “everything good”.We customers are transported to shopping heaven while in your store(s) and website.

— Blog reader Kris

We’ve long been fans of Seattle retailer Ted Kennedy Watson and his first title certainly lives up to it’s stylish name. The lavish A to Z guide is bursting with tips on how to create a cozy, chic and inviting home.